Repair work on Renton’s Lind Avenue overpass will finally get under way later this month, and will include complete demolition and replacement of the northern span of the bridge. Motorists traveling between Renton’s downtown and the Renton/Kent valley will be relieved to get this important connection back in service.
At the time of bid opening the Washington DOT was predicting a summer repair, so this is a little later than planned. A year and four months ago the bridge was struck by an excavator being transported on a flatbed trailer, and the bridge has been closed to traffic ever since. It turns out the bridge is more damaged than it originally appeared, and the whole northern half of the span of the bridge will need to be replaced.
Overnight work may begin as soon as October 23, and require one northbound and one southbound directional closure of I-405, from 11 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. Then a full weekend closure of all the southbound I-405 lanes is planned, from November 3-6 (weather permitting), to demolish the damaged northbound bridge section. Eight new girders will be lifted into place during this closure, to support the replacement span. Plan ahead if you are going to be headed to the airport (or anywhere else that is time-sensitive) during that closure.
The WSDOT press release with further details can be found below, or found online here.
